How many seafood shipments from South Korea did FDA refuse in 2026?

FDA refused 48 shipment lines of seafood from South Korea in 2026 through September 21, 2026, compared with 13 in 2025.

Why does FDA refuse seafood from South Korea?

FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For seafood from South Korea the most frequent are MFR INSAN (insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing, 72 lines), LISTERIA (Listeria monocytogenes, 37 lines) and MFRHACCP (seafood HACCP requirements not met, 36 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.

Which import alerts cover seafood from South Korea?

As of October 26, 2026, the FDA import alerts for this category that list South Korea firms are Import Alert 16-74 (48 firms), Import Alert 16-39 (34 firms), Import Alert 16-81 (32 firms) and Import Alert 16-120 (22 firms). General food alerts numbered 99-xx can list South Korea firms too; see the country page.

FDA import refusals

FDA import refusals: seafood from South Korea

FDA category: Fishery/Seafood Products · October 2016 to September 21, 2026

FDA refused 303 seafood shipment lines from South Korea between October 2016 and September 21, 2026, 48 of them in 2026; the most refused products were anchovy and squid, most often for MFR INSAN (insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing).

Data from FDA public records, last checked October 26, 2026.

303
seafood lines refused since October 2016: 48
refused so far in 2026: 18%
of all FDA refusals from South Korea: 10
firms with the most records, listed below

Seafood refusals from South Korea by year

Shipment lines FDA refused each year. The table has the same numbers as the chart.

* 2026 is year to date, through September 21, 2026. FDA's refusal data starts on October 1, 2016, so 2016 covers three months.

Refusal lines by year
Year	Refusal lines	vs prior year
2026 (to date)	48
2025	13	+86%
2024	7	-78%
2023	32	+357%
2022	7	-50%
2021	14	-46%
2020	26	-48%
2019	50	-2%
2018	51	+11%
2017	46
2016 (from Oct)	9

Anchovy refusals from South Korea

FDA refused 55 anchovy lines from South Korea between October 2016 and September 21, 2026, 18% of the seafood lines.

Anchovy product descriptions refused from South Korea
FDA product description	Lines	Share of seafood
Anchovy	55	18.2%

Recent anchovy refusals

Recent Anchovy refusals from South Korea
Date	Firm	Product	Charges
Aug 5, 2026	And FoodGangdong, South Korea	Anchovy	FILTHY	Source
Aug 5, 2026	And FoodGangdong, South Korea	Anchovy	FILTHY	Source

Squid refusals from South Korea

FDA refused 45 squid lines from South Korea between October 2016 and September 21, 2026, 15% of the seafood lines.

Squid product descriptions refused from South Korea
FDA product description	Lines	Share of seafood
Squid, other aquatic species	45	14.9%

Recent squid refusals

Recent Squid refusals from South Korea
Date	Firm	Product	Charges
Sep 3, 2026	JaYunWon Co., Ltd.Gwangju, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	SALMONELLA	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 16, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 16, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source

Pollack refusals from South Korea

FDA refused 32 pollack lines from South Korea between October 2016 and September 21, 2026, 11% of the seafood lines.

Pollack product descriptions refused from South Korea
FDA product description	Lines	Share of seafood
Pollack, pollock	32	10.6%

Recent pollack refusals

Recent Pollack refusals from South Korea
Date	Firm	Product	Charges
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Pollack, pollock	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Pollack, pollock	MFRHACCP	Source

Other seafood products refused from South Korea

Products refused from South Korea in seafood
Product group	Lines	Share
Fish roe	26	8.6%
Fish cakes	13	4.3%
Octopus	13	4.3%
Mixed fishery/seafood products	12	4.0%
Filefish	11	3.6%
Fish	9	3.0%
Oysters	9	3.0%

Why FDA refused seafood from South Korea

FDA records a charge code on each refused line; one line can carry several.

Most frequent refusal charges for seafood from South Korea
Charge code	Meaning	Lines	Share
MFR INSAN	Insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing	72	24%
LISTERIA	Listeria monocytogenes	37	13%
MFRHACCP	Seafood HACCP requirements not met	36	12%
SALMONELLA	Salmonella	35	12%
IMPTRHACCP	The food appears to have been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions, or may have become…	27	9%
NO ENGLISH	Required label information not in English	23	8%
NUTRIT LBL	Nutrition information missing from label	20	7%
NO PROCESS	No scheduled process filed	18	6%
LIST INGRE	Ingredients not listed	15	5%
FILTHY	Filthy, putrid or decomposed substance	13	4%

Import alerts for seafood that list South Korea firms

Import alerts for seafood listing firms in South Korea
Alert	Covers	Red	Green
16-74	Uneviscerated salt-cured, dried, smoked or fermented fish	43	5
16-39	Ready-to-eat seafood: Listeria monocytogenes	34
16-81	Seafood products: Salmonella	32
16-120	Seafood from processors not in compliance with HACCP	22
16-119	Fish products from importer and processor combinations	6
16-50	Molluscan bivalve shellfish	2
16-137	Seafood Due to Viral Contamination	2

South Korea seafood firms with the most FDA records

Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.

South Korea seafood firms with the most FDA records
Firm	City	FDA records
Hee Chang Trading Company LTD	Seo	31
Banchandanji Co. Ltd.	Seo District	25
Paranhae Co., Ltd	Songpa	24
The Ocean Co Ltd	Incheon	8
Yongdae Hwangtae	KWANGWON-DO	8
Jbr	Tongyeong	8
Cheong A Good Food Co., Ltd	Hoengseong-Gun	7
Daegwang F&C Co., Ltd.	Saha	7
Sunho Food Company	Sokcho	7
Beomchon Fermented Foods	Pohang	7

Latest seafood refusals from South Korea

Latest FDA seafood refusals from South Korea
Date	Firm	Product	Charges
Sep 21, 2026	AnD FoodBoryeong, South Korea	Mussels	FILTHY SALMONELLA	Source
Sep 14, 2026	Ariul CompanyGunsan, South Korea	Sole	807REFUSAL	Source
Sep 14, 2026	Ariul CompanyGunsan, South Korea	Sole	807REFUSAL	Source
Sep 14, 2026	Ariul CompanyGunsan, South Korea	Filefish	807REFUSAL	Source
Sep 3, 2026	JaYunWon Co., Ltd.Gwangju, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	SALMONELLA	Source
Aug 5, 2026	And FoodGangdong, South Korea	Anchovy	FILTHY	Source
Aug 5, 2026	And FoodGangdong, South Korea	Anchovy	FILTHY	Source
Jun 30, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Fish roe, fishery products, n.e.c	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 30, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Octopus, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 30, 2026	The East, Inc.Yeongdeok, South Korea	Fish sauce, fishery products, n.e.c	NO PROCESS	Source
Jun 30, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Octopus, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Octopus, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Pollack, pollock	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Pollack, pollock	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 22, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 16, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 16, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 16, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source
Jun 16, 2026	Banchandanji Co. Ltd.Seo District, South Korea	Squid, other aquatic species	MFRHACCP	Source

Questions about seafood refusals from South Korea

How many seafood shipments from South Korea did FDA refuse in 2026?: FDA refused 48 shipment lines of seafood from South Korea in 2026 through September 21, 2026, compared with 13 in 2025.
Why does FDA refuse seafood from South Korea?: FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For seafood from South Korea the most frequent are MFR INSAN (insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing, 72 lines), LISTERIA (Listeria monocytogenes, 37 lines) and MFRHACCP (seafood HACCP requirements not met, 36 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
Which import alerts cover seafood from South Korea?: As of October 26, 2026, the FDA import alerts for this category that list South Korea firms are Import Alert 16-74 (48 firms), Import Alert 16-39 (34 firms), Import Alert 16-81 (32 firms) and Import Alert 16-120 (22 firms). General food alerts numbered 99-xx can list South Korea firms too; see the country page.

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SupplierRadar is not affiliated with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Data comes from public FDA records and may contain errors. This is not legal advice; importers remain responsible for their supplier evaluations.